Jeremy Lin not 'naming or shaming anyone' after allegedly being called 'coronavirus' during game

Liz Roscher
·Staff writer
·3 min read
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Jeremy Lin continues to demonstrate incredible grace, resilience, and tenacity as he deals with the reaction to his revelation that he was allegedly called "coronavirus" during a game sometime in the past year.

In an emotional Twitter post on Saturday, Lin laid out how he plans to respond now that people are paying attention to racist attacks on Asian and Pacific Islanders, and how he hopes others will respond.

Lin won't name and shame

Lin, who currently plays for the Golden State Warriors' G League affiliate, started by making sure everyone knows where he stands after the G League reportedly opened an investigation into the racist incident. He won't be calling out the person who did it, because he doesn't believe that will help or change anything.

"I know this will disappoint some of you but I'm not naming or shaming anyone. What good does it do in this situation for someone to be torn down? It doesn't make my community safer or solve any of our long-term problems with racism."

Lin then recalled how his assistant coach at Harvard helped him deal with the racism he experienced while playing in the Ivy League.

"When I experienced racism in the Ivy League, it was my assistant coach Kenny Blakeney that talked me through it. He shared with me his own experiences as a Black man — stories of racism I couldn't begin to comprehend. Stories of being called the n-word and having things thrown at him from cars. He drew from his experiences with identity to teach me how to stay strong in mine. He was also the first person to tell me I was an NBA player as a sophomore at Harvard. I thought he was crazy."

This photo taken on August 4, 2020 shows Beijing Ducks' Jeremy Lin driving the ball during the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) match between Beijing Ducks and Guangdong Southern Tigers in Qingdao in China's eastern Shandong province. (Photo by STR / AFP) / China OUT (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images)
Jeremy Lin won't "name and shame" after he was allegedly called "coronavirus" during a game sometime in the last year. (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Lin hopes people will reach out to Asian friends and neighbors

As Asians and Pacific Islanders experience racist attacks due to the Chinese association with COVID-19, Lin emphasized the dangers of ignorance: Just because you've experienced pain doesn't mean you should cause another person or group pain in return.

"Fighting ignorance with ignorance will get us nowhere. Sharing our own pain by painting another group of people with stereotypes is NOT the way."

Lin encouraged those who want to combat this type of racism to reach out to Asian people in their communities and offer them a helping hand.

"Instead, if you want to truly help, look for the Asian kid who has no one to speak up for him when he's bullied. Look for the Asian American groups that are experiencing poverty but getting overlooked. Support the Asian American movie or TV show that gives real opportunity to tell different stories. Look for the Asian people that are scared to walk around in their neighborhood and ask how you can help them."

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